Briana Gasorski
Author's Posts
Dearborn Heights pharmacist sentenced to nearly six and a half years for insurance fraud
January 25th, 20221 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A Dearborn Heights pharmacist has been sentenced to 77 months in prison for defrauding healthcare insurers. Federal officials said that the pharmacist defrauded insurers out of nearly $10 million. Mohamad Ali Makki, 46, was sentenced in federal court, U.S. Attorney Dawn Ison said. U.S. District Judge Linda...
Grant buys alignment equipment for Fordson High School auto tech program
January 25th, 20220 DEARBORN — Fordson High School has received a grant from the Margaret Dunning Foundation to help automotive tech students. The $28,688.77 grant will help purchase a new four-wheel alignment machine so that the students can learn on current equipment. The new machine will replace a 25-year-old machine with a state-of-the-art Hunter...
Biden administration withdraws COVID-19 vaccine rule
January 25th, 20220 WASHINGTON DC — The Biden administration has officially withdrawn a rule that would have required workers to get vaccinated. The rule would have required either proof of vaccination or regular COVID testing requirements. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) confirmed the withdrawal, but did strongly encourage...
Arab American National Museum to reopen on Feb. 2
January 25th, 20220 DEARBORN — The Arab American National Museum (AANM) is set to reopen to the public, with COVID-19 protocols in place, for the first time in two years. This will be the first time visitors will be allowed inside since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. The museum is the nation’s only cultural institution that...
Wayne County and CDC partner to bring COVID testing to Dearborn this week
January 25th, 20220 DEARBORN — Wayne County officials have partnered with the CDC and the city of Dearborn to host a COVID-19 testing site this week. The testing site will be located at the south side parking lot of Ford Field Park at 22051 Cherry Hill Street in Dearborn. Testing will be available on Tuesday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. and...
Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer to retire
January 22nd, 20220 WASHINGTON D.C. — Liberal Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer announced that he plans to retire at the end of the current term. This decision will give President Biden the opportunity to select a new Supreme Court justice. He has promised to nominate the court’s first Black woman. The 83-year-old Breyer is the oldest member...
Newly opened Jaret El Amar offers one of a kind sweet treats in Dearborn Heights
January 22nd, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A new, one of a kind sweet shop has officially opened in Dearborn Heights, attracting customers from all over the area and across the country. Marwa Farhat, owner of Jaret El Amar: Sweets by Marwa, is a mother of six who immigrated from Lebanon in 1998. Farhat has lived in Dearborn Heights for 23 years. She...
Annapolis High School launches an Arab Student Union
January 22nd, 20221 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — A 16-year-old junior at Annapolis High School has partnered with a teacher to launch an Arab Student Union (ASU). Tomasia Suleiman said she was inspired to start an ASU by the growth of the Arab student population at Annapolis High School. “We have so many international and first generation students coming...
Eastern Michigan University welcomes Afghan refugees, seeks volunteers
January 21st, 20220 YPSILANTI — Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is housing 12 Afghan refugee families in campus apartments and offering students volunteer opportunities. In December, EMU announced the partnership with Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County (JFSWC) to help provide housing for the families and now that the families are getting...
Dearborn Public Schools looking for vendors to participate in a vendor fair
January 21st, 20220 DEARBORN — With many projects on the horizon, the Dearborn Public Schools is seeking vendors to participate in a vendor fair to help get them involved in the operations of working with the district. Nasser Beydoun, the vice president of multicultural marketing and managing director for the Middle East for Bassett & Bassett, is...
Whitmer asks the MDHHS to surge 300,000 COVID-19 test kits to schools, other priority groups
January 21st, 20220 LANSING — Governor Whitmer has asked the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) for help distributing COVID-19 test kits. The goal is to distribute these test kits to schools and other priority groups. “Tests are critical in keeping Michiganders safe and controlling the spread of COVID-19,” Whtimer said....
Kim Trent and Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy honored for raising money for rape kit testing
January 21st, 20220 DETROIT — The Museum of the Courageous is honoring two women who helped raise money for rape kit testing in the late 2000s. Kim Trent, president of the “Enough Said AA490 Challenge” at the time, joined forces with Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy during the late 2000s after the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office discovered...
MDHHS issues order requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines
January 20th, 20220 LANSING — The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has issued an epidemic order requiring nursing homes to offer COVID-19 vaccines. The facilities will be required to offer on-site doses to their residents. “With the omicron variant rapidly spreading across our state and cases of COVID-19 continuing to...
West Bloomfield housekeeper accused of stealing more than $500,000 from homeowners
January 20th, 20220 WEST BLOOMFIELD — Police say a 39-year-old housekeeper was arrested after stealing more than $500,000 in luxury items from homeowners over the last four months. According to police, the investigation started in mid-October and is connected to at least 20 different items that were stolen from homes throughout southeast...
Ex-Detroit councilman Andre Spivey receives two-year prison sentence for bribery
January 20th, 20220 DETROIT — Former Detroit City Councilman Andre Spivey has been sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to bribery. Spivey had resigned in September after pleading guilty and admitting to accepting more than $35,000 in bribes in exchange for towing contracts. The court said that it will delay when he has to report......
400 million free N95 masks to be made available starting next week
January 20th, 20220 WASHINGTON D.C. — The Biden administration is expected to be making 400 million N95 masks available for distribution for free starting next week. The announcement came after federal officials started emphasizing their better protection against the omicron variant of COVID-19 over cloth face coverings. The masks will come from...
Local communities march for equality in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 20th, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS/WESTLAND — In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, both Dearborn Heights and Westland hosted walks of service. In Westland, the city hosted its 21st annual march in honor of Dr. King. “We usually see about 200 people each year,” Mayor Bill Wild said. “We have a commitment to having a welcoming city......
Dearborn hosts inauguration event for Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, City Council and Charter Commission members
January 20th, 20220 DEARBORN — On Jan. 15, Abdullah H. Hammoud took the oath of office with his wife by his side and was sworn in with a copy of his family’s Quran. The ceremony also included the swearing in of all seven City Council members, Clerk George Darany and all nine members of the Charter Revision Commission. After the ceremony, Hammoud...
Dearborn Public Schools ready, but not planning on returning to virtual learning
January 19th, 20221 DEARBORN — As one of the largest school districts in Michigan, Dearborn Public Schools says that it’s ready, but not yet planning to pull students out of classrooms. In a recent article by WXYZ, a Fordson High School teacher said that attendance in his classes are low due to the spread of the Omicron variant of...
City officials warn against flushing cleansing wipes into sewers
January 19th, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — City officials are joining other Southeastern Michigan authorities in warning against flushing “flushable” cleansing wipes into sewers. The “flushable” cleansing wipes most commonly used for cleaning and hygienic purposes do not actually decompose as they are flushed down toilets and make their way into...
Beaumont Health partnering with Mood Lifters to offer mental health care
January 18th, 20220 DEARBORN — Metro Detroit residents now have the opportunity to participate in a mental wellness program at no cost to themselves. As a part of the Beaumont Healthy Communities program, using a computer and an Internet connection, participants who may be experiencing anxiety or depression or just wish to feel better can participate......
Dearborn reorganizes school board, celebrates School Board Recognition Month
January 17th, 20220 DEARBORN — As part of School Board Recognition Month, Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko thanked trustees for their service and the board was reorganized. “I want to take a moment to recognize our outstanding board team that we have here in Dearborn,” Maleyko said. “Thank you for your outstanding service to the school community...
D7 Board member resigns suddenly
January 17th, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — Dearborn Heights D7 School Board Trustee Mandy Diroff resigned suddenly during the Jan. 5 school board meeting. In a recording played by a parent, Diroff read her resignation letter, saying she has been feeling irrelevant by the board president, Carrie Harleton, whom she identified only by title. “It is with......
Dearborn Heights City Council selects new Council chair, pro tem
January 17th, 20220 DEARBORN HEIGHTS — The Dearborn Heights City Council selected its new Council chairperson and Council chairperson pro tem during its Jan. 11 City Council meeting. In a unanimous vote, Councilman Dave Abdallah was appointed the new chairman. Mo Baydoun nominated Councilman Ray Muscat to be Council chair pro tem and the Council...
Dearborn man wins $1 million Powerball prize from ticket bought in Dearborn Heights
January 14th, 20220 DEARBORN — One Dearborn resident is $1 million richer after purchasing a Powerball lottery ticket from a gas station he frequents in Dearborn Heights. Dearborn resident Keith Burge won the $1 million Powerball prize from the Michigan Lottery. Burge’s ticket had the matching numbers, 10-40-45-56-67, in the Dec. 4 drawing. He......
